Diana Ry

The AACD is a monthly event targeted at African and other students and graduates and professionals in Turku City organised by the Diaspora Academic Network for Africa DIANA and the International House Turku. It shall deal with topics of immigrant interest, especially the African community in Turku. The slogan is talk every thing but nothing particular around around Work, Study, Entertainment, Business Development and Culture.

Kindly register here https://forms.gle/S9tZuZ5Uui98t37N8 and you can also click on the page of DIANA here https://www.facebook.com/share/TaM2TNaaNxzyedLV/
Deadline for Registration is 23rd March.

African Academic Coffee Day Event Registration Event Timing: March 28th; 14:00-16:00 Event Address: Linnankatu 31, kivipainon 3rd floor, Turku Contact us at: [email protected]

From our heart...

Opening remarks at the DIANA ry Launch Webinar 25.11.2021 was given by Dr. Martti Eirola, Senior Adviser at the Ministry of External Affairs Finland. In his speech, he welcomed participants and discussed the Finnish government's Africa Strategy.
"The aim of the Finland-Africa Strategy which the Finnish government adopted in March this year, is to strengthen in particular our political and economic partnerships with African countries as well as the African Union and regional organizations". He noted that according to the strategy, Finland was to engage with the African diaspora as well and acknowledged DIANA ry as a stakeholder.

DIANA ry was in the news...

AU Commission to Sign a MoU with the Diaspora Academic Network for Africa The Diaspora Academic Network for Africa (DIANA ry) was officially launched on Thursday 25th November 2021 in Finland.

Takeaways from the Talk Titled "EU Perspectives" Offered by Lora Borissova, Senior Expert, Cabinet of Commissioner for Partnership, European Commission on the Occasion of the Launch of DIANA ry.

- There has been a need to review the EU strategy for Africa e.g. partnership for green transition energy, sustainable growth, migration and mobility, technology and digitalization.

- A need to focus on adapting education to our changing world answer develop economic strategies.

- Africa is the youngest continent and the foundations of a successful partnership should focus on education.

- Increase of funding from 7 to 10% with focus on education.

- Identify the best possible projects for funding.

- Official dates for Africa-EU summit 17-18 February 2022.

- There will be numerous opportunities to discuss before the summit. There will be Africa-EU week soon where stakeholders will be invited to discuss productive partnerships.

EXCERPTS AND TAKE AWAYS FROM THE SPEECH OFFERED BY H.E PROFESSOR SARAH ANYANG AGBOR, COMMISSIONER, HUMAN RESOURCES, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AT AUC ON THE OCCASION OF DIANA RY'S LAUNCH WEBINAR, 25.11.2021.

"As you may know, the African Union does not minimise any effort to support initiatives that mobilise the diaspora towards Africa, the diaspora often termed as Africa’s sixth region…"

"DIANA ry’s mission to mobilise expertise of Africans in the diaspora to fill teaching and research gaps in Africa, important purview of my office seduced me, the commissioner most…The AUC finds the birthing of the Diaspora academic Network for Africa, one of the greatest initiatives that holds the key to the achievements of the Agenda 2063...".

"It is clear that DIANA ry will need all of the political support to ensure its success. This political support I reassure DIANA ry, donor agencies and development partners will be availed to DIANA in a bid to ensure they work successfully towards fulfilling their agenda of helping develop the African higher education space...".

"DIANA’s innovative model of establishing African representatives to link diaspora academics to the “needy African Universities” promises to be a model that will hasten the developmental efforts of African higher education...".

"This bold vision is an Africa where all educational institutions, particularly higher educational institutions will have access to African diasporas coming home to give back to the continent...".

"…I can imagine that there is still a lot space for the intellectual African diaspora to participate and raise several African Higher Education systems to world class standards…. If many African Universities are joining the club of the best ranked universities today, there are still new generation of African Universities, private universities that needs the diaspora expertise…"

"Even then, the African universities in the club of excellence will continuously need expertise from Africans and their foreign colleagues from the world's centres of excellence to diversify programmes offerings, provide new cutting-edge programmes to meet the pace of the 4th industrial revolution".

"I can imagine that this diaspora unity around education for Africa, is a home coming opportunity not only to your home countries but to discover other African countries, within African Union’s mission of social cohesion. Uniting around education is the right process towards social cohesion but above all, for more mutual trust between the African home countries, universities and the diaspora".

We had a successful launch webinar on 25.11.2021 with several participants from Europe, The United States of America, Africa and stakeholders from Union, Commission, the African Development Futures Group ( Khumba, of Foreign Affairs, Finland of Education Finland and Nations Economic Commission for Africa (, Alumni groups , . Special thanks to all who participated. Diaspora Academic Network for Africa () is a network NGO with Headquarter in Finland, branch offices in Berlin-Germany and California, USA to foster a knowledge giveback phenomenon, mobilising expertise of the African intellectual diaspora to support teaching, research and capacity building in African universities. The initiative has been significantly influenced by the current digital revolution, where the diaspora intellectuals can deliver without travelling physically; but the nature of certain disciplines and teaching practices require some physical displacement (said the President of DIANA ry). The occasion was chaired by the African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology H.E Excellency Prof. .

You do not want to miss the opportunity to listen to these speakers at DIANA ry's launch webinar
Registration link: https://bit.ly/3qOOlbg (after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting).
See Program: https://bit.ly/30DyWQJ
More about DIANA ry: https://dianary.org/

Be part of DIANA ry's launching webinar presided over by H.E Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, Commissioner for Human Resources, Science and Technology, African Union Commission.
Time: Thursday 25 November 2021. Time: 10:00-12:25 Noon (UTC + 2 Finnish Time).
Registration link: https://bit.ly/3qOOlbg (after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting).
See Program: https://bit.ly/30DyWQJ
More about DIANA ry: https://dianary.org/

Giving back to Africa DIANADiaspora Academic Network For AfricaABOUT US WITH DIANA RYGiving Back To Africa Made Possible OUR PROGRAMS Diana Ry Grand Launching Webinar is Around The CornerDownload Webinar Program HereExecutive StatementDr Doh Pascal-President – General Coordinator of Diana RyEducation and Innovation The...